Posts Tagged ‘1950’s stamp’

It is two and a half weeks since I last featured an Italian stamp. Since then the corona virus has spread a lot more on our globe – and in Italy, it is clear that the peak has passed. It is tough to think about the vast numbers of families who have lost their loved ones, but Italy is showing the rest of the world that people are still living with positive and supportive minds.

29 December 1956, Italy
First Anniversary of Italy to United Nations
design: C. Donati

We are facing a global pandemic – all commercial and cultural gatherings are restricted here in the UK, too. It is heavy and sad to see and hear news from Italy, where a lot of friends of mine and their families live. People from Italy are telling us what to prepare, what to expect, and how people are supporting each other – this reminds me that we are living on one and only Spaceship Earth…

This is one of the early examples of the globe on a stamp design – and if you compare this to other stamps from a similar era, you would notice how modern and avant-garde this design was. If you have 3D glasses with red and cyan color filters – please try.

A very happy New Year to you! It’s the year of wild boar in Eastern zodiac. They were the gods of the forest in ancient animism in Japan and this is my favourite stamp which shows the animal’s sacredness.

I wish 2019 will be a joyful and healthy year for you all. Well, here in the UK, we don’t know what is going to happen towards the end of March… But life is going on, we have to be creative to find the best happiness out of it!

p.s.
After I featured this stamp, I bought a stamp catalogue of Austria and discovered that this stamp is not admiring the wild animal but is titled ‘International Hunting Congress, Vienna’…

Single rooted arrows are progressing into multi directions. These arrows made me a search on Turkey’s entry to NATO in relation to Greek-Turkish relations over the years. By the design of this stamp, we can read that they were willing to grow this relationships with European and North American countries.

Radio antenna system standing ( oh, is it still there? ) on the Zugspitze, a mountain on the border between Austria and Germany. Beautifully engraved stamp, nice to look at to be chilled on a hot evening.

The hand of God is giving Adam a human intelligence – a part of Michelangelo‘s huge fresco ceiling in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. The background for this stamp is the burning surface of the sun, which could be the mother of the earth.

When I read about Michelangelo’s life, I discovered that he was always angry because his life was affected by the change of rulers, and also what those rulers forced him to create. Well, 500 years later in our global era, we still have to be aware about what a ruler wants and how our life is influenced by that. I am imagining Michelangelo’s feeling when he painted this hand of God.

Tunisia was a part of France until 1956 and their stamps often show influences of French design. But this bright one, only three years after the independence, shows they are clearly developing in their own aesthetics. The blue bird looks fingers pinching a twig – thus categolised in ‘hand’.

It is unfortunate but the country is recently opposite to this optimistic atmosphere.

The left is the French king – ‘fleur de Louis’ heraldry on red sleeve – and right is Spanish king with orange sleeve with ‘castle-leo’ heraldry. And this handshake had happened in 1659. The origin of handshake was to proof that there is no weapon in their hands – well, it was one condition before the friendship, really.

Gutenberg invented ‘mobile’ letters which can be placed in a frame and set to make a page. He also developed alloys for the letter press, the formula of ink for the method, and adapted the farmer’s press device for printing… I imagine he might have worked hard.

Mono and modest coloured stamp but strong – the atmosphere of a work place of 500 years ago is well presented within a small stamp.

In 1609 an English ship was drifted to an island which was already named Bermuda after a Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez, who reported about this uninhabited island in early 16th century.

This stamp is celebrating this arrival of English people with two Royal heraldry in 1609 (King James I) and 1959 (Queen Elizabeth II). In spite of 300 years apart between then, there are not much difference.

The Chinese calendar had just turned the year of the Horse – so, I am still featuring more stamps with horse.

This German stamp is depicting the early postal service man on horse, who is blowing a bugle horn to ask if anyone has a letter to be delivered to a remote place. The horn became an icon of the postal services.

One of the legendary creatures – Pegasus has reverential atmosphere suits to the New Year. The Greek mythology which tells us this creature has its roots goes back to 15th century B.C., visual materials are dated from 8~9 century B.C. – I have just learnt how old this creature was!

The horses with wings in this stamp is claimed from Etruria, where one of the ancient civilizations was cultivated from 9th century B.C. in the centre of Italy.

It was stormy day today and even at noon I needed a desk lamp to read. I imagined how dark the inside of a house was before electricity was invented – and even worse in parts further north than here in London.

Here in London we have the beginning of autumn colours, but the weather is already winter… I guess the southern Europe is still in sunshine and people are harvesting for a few more weeks. In Japan there is a saying ‘sky is high and horse will grow fat in autumn’ and in fact I was always gaining some weight in autumn, after the air cools down and my appetite came back.

Today is the final stage of the Tour de France 2013 – post Armstrong ‘clean’ tour as well as the 100th edition.

I have been supporting Nairo Quintana from Colombia since he made his great challenge in the mountain stages. He won a stage yesterday and became 2nd place in this years Tour. I always support the small built athletes in any sports – he is 166 cm high, 20 cm shorter than the winner Chris Froome!

Colombia has a long history of cycling as this stamp tells us. Quintana might be the first Colombian winner of Tour de France in the coming years.